A fraudulent syndicate has been actively targeting various foreign embassies and government offices in Dhaka with extortion threats sent via email, according to the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). Authorities believe the primary objective of this malicious campaign is to generate panic among the diplomatic community and deliberately tarnish the nation’s international image.
Additional Commissioner Md. Shafiqul Islam, who heads the Detective Branch, disclosed these details during a press briefing held at the DMP Media Centre on Sunday morning. He explained that investigators have been actively tracking the syndicate, which has dispatched threatening messages demanding money while providing mobile financial service numbers to channel their illicit extortions.
Upon tracing the designated mobile banking accounts, detectives brought in three to four individuals for questioning. However, initial inquiries revealed that the registered account holders were entirely innocent citizens who had no prior knowledge or involvement in the fraudulent scheme. Investigators clarified that these threats directed at diplomatic missions have no connection to recent incidents involving attacks on medical professionals or separate extortion cases reported across the capital.
The syndicate has reportedly lodged complaints across three to four foreign missions and a handful of government departments. While the cyber-extortionists managed to extort minor sums in a few isolated instances, they failed to achieve any substantial financial breakthroughs.
Law enforcement agencies have already apprehended four suspects in connection with the racket, while three to four additional individuals remain under close intelligence surveillance. Police have launched a special crackdown to capture the remaining suspects swiftly. Initial background checks indicate that the arrested individuals do not have prior criminal records in other police stations, leading investigators to suspect that a newly formed group has recently initiated these coordinated online scams.

